Newspaper



Nov. Z4, 1942'- G. A. McDoNALD NEWSPAPER FILE Filed Nm. 16, 1940Patented Nov. 24, 1942 ilNi'Eili) OFFICE NEWSPAPER FILE George A.McDonald, Pasadena, Calif. Application November 16, 1940, Serial No.365,871

(Cl. 12B-4)Y 7 Claims.

to provide a newspaper iile in which newspapers y,

can be rmly clamped together, one upon the other, at their fold edge,vth supporting means therefor, whereby said papers can be thrown back toexpose other papers thereunder, and so arranged that the papers thrownback will remain back instead of rolling down again in place, as isusually the case where the top papers are thrown bac-k; to provide in anewspaper le or holder means for holding the clamping and holding meansin an inclined position, whereby to facilitate the turning of top papersback surliciently to expose the full margin at the edge in the clamp,and also to cause said turned-back papers to remain back inout--of-the-way position; to provide in a newspaper le, in combinationwith suitable sharp prongs on which to impale newspapers in the mannerreferred to, clamping bars to be placed over said prongs, with means forlocking said bars together in clamping position and for protecting thepoints oi said prongs; to provide i simple and practical means forlocking and releasing the clamping bars whereby to conveniently add orto remove newspapers from. the holding prongs on which they areimpaired; and, in general, to provide a simple, practical and convenientnewspaper file or holder which can be handled for reference purposes,and which can be stored away in a convenient and accessible place whendesired for use.

In order to explain my invention, I have illustrated the same on theaccompanying sheet of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view looking down on a newspaper file embodying myinvention;

Figure "2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary front View of the device shown inFigs. l and 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.3;

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a detailed view, partly in section, of

a modified form of top bar or member, whereby 55 the clamp-ingmechanism, apart from the base, can be handled and hung upon a rack;

Figure '7 is a vertical sectional View through a modied form. ci4 myinvention,.in which thetop bar or member is done `away with and thesharp prongs are movable back against the base member for protection.

In Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4, I have shown my invention mounted on a base 8,having an upright left hand side 9, with two angle plates III, III,secured thereto, in the angle, as clearly indicated.

Rigidly secured to said plates, I0, II), is a member or bar II, providedwith a plurality of long, sharp prongs, I2, I2, on which newspapers canbe impaled, as indicated, to rest down upon said bar II, and extend outto the right atwise upon the base 8, as seen in Fig. 2. Pivotallyconnected into the end of said bar or member I I, is a screw member I3,having thereon a knurled nut III and having its free end provided with aball or head I5. One of these screw members I3 is connected into eachend of said bar I I, as seen in Fig. 1.

A second or clamp bar or member I6 is provided to be pla-ced down oversaid sharp prongs and to u; rest upon the newspapers impaled thereon,for

clamping said newspapers at their fold edge or margin and so as to'leavethe reading column free and exposed. Said second bar or member I 6 isprovided at each end with a at seat-to receive the knurled nut I4, asseen at I6', Fig. 3, whereby when said nut I4 is screwed down upon saidbar It, it will be firmly clamped down upon the papers. The member orbar II, where it engages saidangle plates I0, III, is recessed so as tofit down over said plates, as at IIJ in Fig. 3.

In order to protect the sharp points of the prongs I2, I have provided athird bar or member I1, having holes or seats therein to receive saidpoints, and inA said holes I have-placed a lead filler, as I8, of softermaterial, whereby to avoid injury to said sharp points. This is shown inFig. 4. It will'be understood, of course, that the bar or member I I, inwhich the prongs I2, I2, are secured, is rigid and said prongs are heldin one Xed position.

An important feature of my invention, is the mounting of said prongs inan inclined position, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. Thereason for this is that the newspapers P, when thrown over to the left,as indicated in light broken lines, will remain in this position andwill not roll back again o-ver and upon the one that is being read orinspected, as would be the case if said prongs were in a verticalposition. The newspapers are turned over the left hand side member` 9,and fall down outside of this side member 9, as seen in light brokenlines in Fig. 2, and will remain there until turned back by hand.

Referring now to Fig. 6, I have shown a type of top bar or member,corresponding to bar I1, but made longer so as to provide opposite endsby means of which a clamping or paper holding mechanism, without thebase structure 8, can be handled and hung upon any suitable paper racks,various kinds of which are in use. This bar is designated I'I and on itsunder side, at each end, is provide with a recess I8, of channel form,and terminating in a socket I9 to receive the hooked end 20, of a screwbolt 2l, similar in other respects to the screw members I3, in the otherfigures. This provides means for connecting the hooked end 20 of apivoted screw member or bolt 2|, to the top, point-protecting bar I1, orII in Fig. 6, and provides the extension ends for hanging the holder ona rack.

It will be noted that in all these forms of my invention, whenassembled, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, and the pivoted screw boltsI3, I3, are in place, and the knurled nut I4 screwed down, that allthree of the bars or members II, I6 and II, are firmly clamped together.The clamp bar or member It is forced down upon the papers P, by the nutIrl, and the point-protecting bar I1, or I`I', as the case may be, islocked in place by the ball heads I5, I5, at the upper ends of saidscrew members I3, r by the hooked end 20, of the form shown in Fig. 6.The bars I6 and I'I have open slots in their ends to receive thescrew-bolts I3, I3, .as clearly shown. When the nut I4 is loosened,

it not only releases the clamp bar I6, but it permits the screw bolt ormember I3 to be swung out to the left, as indicated in light brokenlines at the left of Fig. 3, and this permits the point-protecting bari1 to be removed, and also permits the clamp bar IS to be removed fromthe prongs so as to add newspapers, or to remove papers therefrom.

In Fig. '7, I have shown a modified form of my invention in which theprong carrying bar 22 is rotatably mounted in folded over ends of theangle plates, designated Ill', as at 23, with a thumb screw 26, fortightening the friction on said bar 22, whereby it is possible to turnsaid prongcarrying bar 22 to move said prongs to upright, or verticalpositions, to receive papers, or to turn them back against the sidemember, designated L 9, in small recesses 25, provided therein to shieldsaid sharp points, on the prongs I2 in this. form or embodiment of theinvention. The clamp bar I and the nut I4 are the same in this form ofthe invention, as in the other embodiments thereof shown.

In the side member 9, at the side of the base 3, it will be seen that Ihave provided a cut-out hand recess 26 for convenience in handling thele as a whole. It will also be seen that the file can be handled muchlike a drawer and can be inserted into slideways, as is a drawer, thusmaking it possible to have many of them in small storage space under acounter, or other receiving rack therefor.

Thus I have provided a most practical and durable newspaper iile orholder in which newspapers, which are of low tensile strength, can beheld in flat and usable condition. The base can be of Celotex or otherlight, suitable material, and the bars or members can be made of steel,brass, or other suitable material, as may be desired for the particularusage to which they are to be put.

It will be noted that the inclined position of the receiving prongs,which are inserted through the newspapers at the left hand margin,leaves the left margin of the reading material clearly visible, and thatthe inclined position of the clamping mechanism also makes possible theconvenient turning of the papers over to the left, as seen in lightbroken lines in Fig. 2, out of the way and where they will remain untilreplaced by hand, which is not the case where the holding members holdthe bound edges of the papers in a Vertical position.

Iam aware that changes in details of construction and arrangement can bemade without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not,therefore, limit the invention to the showing made for explanatorypurposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A newspaper iile including a member having a plurality of impalingprongs secured therein to receive papers thereon, a second memberadapted to be placed over said prongs, upon said papers, to clamp saidpapers to said first member, clampinfT means connecting the oppositeends of said members for tightening them upon said papers, and .a thirdmember adapted to be placed over the points of said prongs to protectthem, the clamping means connecting the opposite ends of said `Firstmembers being adapted to secure said third member in place on the pointsof said prongs.

2. A newspaper le of the character referred to including a base with aside member, a member mounted thereon and having a plurality of impalingprongs secured to said member and inclined toward said side member, amember adapted to be placed on said prongs, for clamping newspaperstherebetween, a screw bolt at each end of said members with a nutthereon for tightening said last named member down upon said rst namedmember, with newspapers therebetween, and a third member adapted to beplaced upon the upper ends of said prongs to cover their sharp ends,said screw bolts being adapted to secure said third member in positionon said prongs.

3. A newspaper rile including in combination a member having prongsprojecting therefrom on which to impale newspapers, a second memberadapted to be placed on said prongs, on newspapers thereon, a thirdmember adapted to be placed on the sharp ends of said prongs to preventaccidental engagement therewith, and screw bolts connecting the ends ofsaid first and third members and having nuts thereon adapted to bescrewed down upon said second member to clamp it on to said rst member,with newspapers therebetween.

4. A newspaper le including in combination a member having prongsprojecting therefrom on which to impale newspapers, a second memberadapted to be placed on said prongs, on newspapers thereon, a thirdmember adapted to be placed on the sharp ends of said prongs to preventaccidental engagement therewith, and screw r bolts pivotally connectedat one end with said first member and each having means at its other endto connect with said third member for holdlng it in place, and a nut oneach of said screw bolts adapted to be screwed down upon the oppositeends of said second member to clamp it upon said first member, withnewspapers therebetween.

5. A newspaper file including in combination a member having prongsprojecting therefrom on which to impale newspapers, a second memberadapted to be placed on said prongs, on newspapers thereon, a thirdmember adapted to be placed on the sharp ends of said prongs to preventaccidental engagement therewith, screw bolts pivotally connected to oneof said members and adapted to be moved into engagement with the othertwo of said members for interlocking all three of said members togetherin holding relationship with newspapers clamped therebetween.

6. A newspaper file including a at base to receive newspapers flat wisethereupon, a rigid side member along one side thereof forming an angletherewith, a plurality of impaling prongs having their lower endsanchored to said base and extending upwardly in an inclined positiontoward the upper edge of said side member, the upper ends of said prongsbeing sharp to pierce papers as they are placed on said prongs, a barmovable on said prongs `for clamping newspapers together at theirattached edges, whereby said newspapers can be turned back over saidinclined prongs and over the top edge of said side member at an angle ofrest to prevent return of said newspapers by gravity to flat position onsaid base.

7. In a newspaper file, a flat base member, a bar mounted thereon andhaving a plurality of prongs projecting therefrom at an angle forimpaling newspapers thereon down upon said bar, a side member along oneside of said base, forming an angle therewith across which said impalingprongs are inclined from said base toward the upper edge of said sidemember, a clamping bar upon said prongs for clamping newspapers downupon said rst bar, and means for tightening said clamping bar upon saidpapers, said clamping bar normally resting to one side of said rst baron said prongs, whereby newspapers impaled on said prongs and heldbetween said bars, can be turned back over said second bar and saidimpaling prongs to an angle of rest to prevent their falling back bygravity upon said base.

GEORGE A. MCDONALD.

